Changes in the Regulation of Energy Metabolism with Aging Nutraceutical Applications

Abstract

The human life cycle has undergone dramatic changes in the last century. At the beginning of the 20th century, average life expectancy at birth for males and females combined was approximate in a range between 55 and 60 years. Now, 100 years later, average life expectancy is more than 70 years and is anticipated to increase to an average of 80 years in future. Here, life span of human being increases but at the same time elderly age health problems were also increased in last some decades. Nowadays, scientists are working on changing world statistics; the effect of aging on body physiology and its metabolism are evaluating for improving the quality of life in older ages and preventing elderly age disabilities. Now, discussing with this, available literature review revealed that understanding about changes in energy regulation and metabolism with aging is prior important step, because prevention of weight loss and fat loss by having proper understanding about energy metabolism has become an important component of maintaining healthy body in elderly age. The changing statistics also revealed that weight loss in older persons may not necessarily be manifested by body mass index in underweight ranges. Several data of evidence explained that there is a change in regulation of energy intake that occurs in elderly age even in apparently healthy individuals and increases the risk of energy imbalance. There is also a new filed research suggesting equivalent dysregulation of body energy expenditure and substrate oxidation in old age. The amount at which body weight and fat either increase or decrease in contrast to age-related energy metabolism will depend on the environmental factors and also on the individual health. Still, energy metabolism change in older age is connected to deficiencies of nutrients and some micronutrients which are essential for complete energy regulation. Along with this, some more reasons are identified from literature review, namely, frailty, increased number of hospital admission, an increased risk of disability from falls, delayed recovery from any type of injury, and in some cases early age death. Therefore, further detailed review, survey and research are required to find out the exact root causes of aging-related energy metabolism and dysregulation in energy intake. In this current chapter, the author focused on the role of nutraceuticals in the energy metabolism and how it will improve the health of elderly people along with healthy life span at the old age.